Sports Performance Coordinator
Jim Starkey is a Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) through the Board of Certification and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. His blended experience in sports medicine and sports performance has given him insight into how to guide both healthy and injured athletes through recovery, reconditioning, and performance training. He joined the Excelsior Orthopaedics team in 2018 and has continued to build the Excelsior Sports Performance brand.
After graduating from SUNY Cortland (B.S. Athletic Training) and Middle Tennessee State University (M.S. Exercise Science) he continued to gain experience in the sports medicine and performance fields through internships with the New York Yankees, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and a fellowship at the world-renowned Steadman Clinic in Vail, CO. He worked at the Steadman Clinic upon completion of his fellowship and returned to Buffalo in 2015. He served as a sports performance coach at Impact Sports Performance and spent 6 seasons as an athletic trainer with the Buffalo Bandits of the NLL. He was honored to be named the Head Athletic Trainer for Team USA at the 2019 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship where he received the Spirit of Lacrosse Award.
Jim believes that movement is the key to optimal recovery from injury as much as high performance in sport. From adolescents to older adult athletes, Jim seeks to provide each with a plan to achieve their goals and do so while remaining injury free! When he isn’t in the performance center, he can be found enjoying WNY with his three children their dog, cheering on the Bills, or training for any number of physical events.
